Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-29

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The charts below show the average percentages in typical meals of three types of nutrients, all of which may be unhealthy if eaten too much.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Average percentages of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars in typical meals consumed in the USA

Student answer (Band 6.5)

The pie charts illustrate the average proportions if 3 categories of nutrients in typical meals, which could result as unhealthy if consumed a lot.

Overall, sodium and saturated fat accounted for the majority of meals as dinner, while added sugar was founded most in snacks.

Dinner and snacks were the biggest figures for the 3 nutrients. while sodium was found in dinner meals the most with the highest figure of 43%, added sugar was almost halved by it (23%). Saturated fat had just over one third of the total in dinners. Snacks had the most sugar with almost 42%. However sodium and saturated fat had little connectio with snacks with 14% and 21% respectively.

Lunch and breakfast had the least nutrients. Break ast had only 14% sodium and 16% saturated fat. Added sugar was the same as saturated fat. Lunch was not much different but a bit higher than breakfast with just under 30% in both sodium and saturated fat nutrients and even less than 20% in added sugar.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You identify the main pattern accurately: dinner has the highest shares of sodium and saturated fat, while snacks lead for added sugar. The figures you give for dinner and snacks are generally consistent with the charts, and you also compare breakfast and lunch. This gives the report a clear overview and relevant supporting detail. However, some comparisons are imprecise: lunch sodium is 29%, but saturated fat is 26%, so “just under 30% in both” blurs the distinction. The statement that dinner and snacks were “the biggest figures for the 3 nutrients” is also broad; breakfast and lunch values would be clearer if reported more selectively and precisely. Overall, the key features are covered, though a few details are over-generalised.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and two paragraphs grouping the meal data. The progression from the dominant dinner and snack figures to breakfast and lunch is logical, and linking words such as “Overall,” “while,” and “However” help guide the reader. This is a coherent arrangement, but cohesion is not consistently controlled. The sentence beginning “Dinner and snacks were the biggest figures…” is followed by a lower-case “while,” and the transition into “Lunch and breakfast had the least nutrients” is abrupt. Some references, such as “it” in “added sugar was almost halved by it,” require the reader to infer the comparison. More precise links between each meal and nutrient would make the progression smoother and clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of task-related vocabulary, including “average proportions,” “accounted for,” “highest figure,” and “one third,” which helps communicate the chart information. There are also attempts to vary expression rather than repeat the same wording. However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural for describing data: “proportions if 3 categories,” “founded most,” “little connectio,” and “the biggest figures for the 3 nutrients.” “Meals” is also not the right unit for the percentages, which represent nutrient shares within meals. These slips do not prevent the reader from understanding the main comparisons, but they limit precision. Prefer standard chart language such as “the proportion of,” “was highest in,” and “accounted for” with the relevant nutrient and meal clearly named.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including a relative clause in the introduction and contrast clauses with “while” and “although”-type comparisons. The main message is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “The pie charts illustrate the average proportions if 3 categories” has an incorrect preposition and an incomplete relationship between the proportions and nutrients. In “while sodium was found in dinner meals the most,” the word order is awkward, and the sentence beginning “Dinner and snacks were the biggest figures…” is followed by a lower-case “while.” The final paragraph also contains a fragment-like construction, “Break ast had only…,” and the sentence about lunch is difficult to parse. Build shorter, complete sentences and check clause boundaries, word order, and punctuation.

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